This SouthCoast Kid Can’t Wait for the Artemis Moon Mission

When I was a kid, my heroes were Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins rode Apollo 11 to the Moon. Their pictures occupied a prominent place on my bedroom wall.

Armstrong and Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on the Moon and became the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface. Collins remained aboard the Command Module Columbia in lunar orbit.

It happened on July 20, 1969, when the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) had less technology available in a room full of computers than I have in my Apple Watch.

Twenty-four American astronauts have traveled to the Moon since 1968, and only 12 have stepped foot on the lunar surface. The last person to walk on the Moon did so in 1972.

When the Apollo 11 crew landed on the Moon, my family was camping at Amy's Hideaway in the woods of Freetown. My parents made sure we were home to watch the Moon landing on television and Armstrong and Aldrin's foray from Eagle. I will never forget either event.

On August 29, 2022, NASA will launch Artemis I, a four-to-six-week uncrewed mission to orbit the Moon. Artemis II, with a crew of four, is slated to launch no sooner than May 2024 for a 10-day mission that will include orbiting the Moon.

Artemis III will launch no sooner than 2025 to return humans to the Moon. The mission will mark the first time a woman and a person of color will land on the Moon's surface.

I hope the Artemis program inspires the next generation of space travelers and ushers in a new era of space exploration.

I, for one, cannot wait.